Elastic tire for wheels.



No. 836,557. PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906.

L. BOIRAULT.

BLASTIG TIRE FOR WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7, 1906.

Unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

no. seats?.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov; 20,1906.

Application nea February 7.1906. seria No. 299,903.

To all whom t may cori/cern:

Be itrknown that I, LOUIS BOIRAULT, engineer, a citizen of the Re ublic of France, re-

I siding at 8 RueEmile Gllbert, Paris, France,

have invented certain new and useful Im- Aproveniente in Elastic Tires for Wheels, of

which the followingv is a speciiication.

lThis invention relates to an elastic tireI Aorder that such a tire shall be practical and efficient, several conditions are necessary.

Not-only the tire must be free to give Way 1n the radial direction, but also it must be prevented-from becoming displaced in the direc-1 tion perpendicular .to the plane of the wheel and from getting out of form in the circular direction. These conditions are necessary to allow of the tire resisting both the transversal strain developed when moving in a curve and the tangential strain arisin from braking from the action of the motor 1f the wheels are driving-wheels and the like. Frthermore, the tire must ull another essential condition withoutwhich the wheel would not run softly or smoothly enough, and that is its elasticity in the transversal direction must besuch as to enable it to yield smoothly to the lateral shocksndue to roughness in the road. T hls condition, which may appear contradictory with-respect to the condition which consists in preventing the tire from becoming displaced laterally, is fulfilled byarranging guiding members for the springs in suchVA a manner as to enable the whole oi each s ring to give way in the radial direction, whi e the 'median portion only is enabled to move yieldingly in the transversal direction.- For the purpose of fuliilling the said conditions the rigid felly is provided with several annular ribs so arranged as to and retain the same in thep ane ofthe wheel and preventing their corrugated portionfrom giving way in a direction transversal to the said plane, while leaving their median por- 'tion free to yield in the transversal direction. The said springs are, moreover, held or maintained in the circumferential direction and prevented from riding by means of separating members passing between them and secured to one or more flexible bands placed along the -periphery of the tire.

The invention consists neither in arran ing on a telly springs surrounded' by a exib e band o r tread nor 1n providing 'the felly with.

, tend only uide the springs vthe springs.

any kind of ribs, but in combining specially the springs with the said ribs and with the band or tread in such a manner as to allow of the springs yieldingtotallyin the radial direction and parta ly in the transversal direction, while they are in part rigidly supported in the transversal direction and completely so in the circumferential direction.

An embodiment of this elastic wheel is shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which* Figure l is al transversal section of a part ofthe wheel. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a part of the wheel on the line A A. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a part of the tiren-the cover being removed. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line B B of Fig. 2.-. Fig. 5 isa sectional view on the line C C of Fig.' 2.

In the drawings, a designates lia-t springs,

the median portion 6 of which is curved into clamped thereon by transversal bolts'd.

The felly b is composed of. wooden segments placed end to end and Aheld assembled by the annular flanges @and by an outer annular member e. It 1s provided with a continuous median rib f, the .lateral faces of which are lane or slightly conical and exslightly beyond the'bights 1 2 3 4 in order to serve as guides and bearings for the same. The faces of the said rib `are provided withsheet-metal. platesf-such as g, for instance-made to fit the rib and desi ned to be subjected to the irictionofthe bights of The inner edgesh of the said plates are preferably shouldered` and bent downward, so asy to bear on the shouldersi of the felly and to serve as bearings for the ends 5 of the springs.

Around the' springs is laced a cover y', of leather or other suitable eXible material, the ed es of which are secured to the sides ofthe fel y by means ofannular flanges 7c, clamped by the bolts d or by any other suitable means.

Through interstices provided between the I OO springs a at the periphery of the tirel rivets m lare projected and secured in the cover y'. The

latter ,are thus pre'vented from becoming displaced in the direction of the circumference ofthe wheel and from ridin-g.

The dis lacement ofthe ends ofthe springs ma on the other hand, be preventedl 1n severa Ways. For instance, the springs may be placed sufficiently near to one another to make their ends touch. There may also be formed on the annular flanges c cut-out projectionsr, (Fig. 2 to the ri ht,) or stamped projections s, (Fig. 2 to the eft, )which take into the interstices of the springs. Similar projections may Aflanges g.

For the purpose of preventing any transversal sliding of the cover on the springs there may be used springs the edges of which are provided with projections t, Fig. 2, which take between the rivets m. However, the adherence of the springs to the flexible bands 7' n, united by a suilicient number of rivetings, may be suliciently orreat to revent of itself any sliding, inwhidh case t e projections t may be dispensed with.

'The tire shown is surrounded by a protecting band or tread o, which is held in place by means of lateral straps p, passing through eyelets formed in the edges of the annular flanges When the tire thus built up is subjected to a load, the springs a, which transmit the said load to the ground, are compressed, so that their bights 1 2 3 4 slideagainst the faces of the rib f. If the strain `put on the tire is oblique or perpendicular with respect to the plane of the wheel, the springs bear against the rib and slide thereon, so that their corrugated or lateral portions cannot become inclined to any. material extent and have only to yield in the direction of the spokes of the wheel. The bight or median portion 6 alone can move in the transversal direction, thus supplying to a suitable extent the required elasticity in that direction to insure therequired smoothness of running. The annular member e preferably forms on the sides of the rib f projections e', designed to revent the bight 1 from sliding over the ri under the action of a transversal strain. The portion of each spring thus enabled to yield laterally is thus limited to that ofthe bight 1.

The number' of the corrugations of the s rings and the mode of securing the same on t A e felly, as Well as the minor details of the construction of the felly ofthe cover and the other parts of the tire, may be variedwithout departing from the spirit of this invention. For instance, thel single median rib f 'of the tire may be either continuous or composed of segments of wood or of metal, either solid or' hollow, or it may be replaced v by parallel ribs located either within or without the springs. In the latter case the ribs also. be formen` on the annularV may be formed on lateral annular flan es or be constituted by the branches of a U a ed 65 metal rim, which serves as the felly. he' outer bights of the corrugations of the springs will then be placed nearly in contact with theinner faces ofthe said ribs or guide branches. The rivets m may be re laced by any other suitable separating mem ers.

1. A wheel having an elastic tire, comprising a wooden felly' having an outer median rib, a metal cover on the said rib, havin its edges curved inward, a series of curv springs having their lateral portion corrugated and their ends curved to fit on the flanges of the cover, annular flanges `curved to lit on the ends of the springs, and means for clamping the said flanges against the said springs and against the sides of the telly.' f

2. In a wheel having an elastic tire, the combination of a telly, of curved springs having their ends against the sides of the elly, 85 'annular flanges adapted to engage the ends of the springs and having projections which penetrate between the said ends, and means to clamp the said ilanges against the springs and the felly.

3. Ina Wheel having an elastic tire, the combination of a felly, an outer rib on the felly, a, series of curved springs having their lateral portions corrugated and their ends secured to the telly, and lateral flanges on the said rib adapted to prevent the corrugated portions of the springs from passing above the rib.

4. In a wheel having an elastic tire, the combination of a felly, a series of curved 109v springs having their ends secured to the felly, flexible bands located at the periphery of the wheel, the one within the springs and the other without, and rivets connecting the said bands in springs.

5. In a wheel having an elastic tire, the combination of a felly, a series of curved springs having lateral projections on their median portion and having their ends se- 'ne cured to the felly, flexible bands located at the periphery of the tire, the one within the springs and the other at the'outside of the same, and rivets which connect the said bands in passing in the intervals ofthe springsf 1 I Y and in engaging their lateral projections to prevent the said bands from sliding transversely on the springs.

In testimony'that I claim the foregoing as v my invention I have signed my name in pres- I 2O ence of two subscribing witnesses.

`LOUIS BOIRAULT.

Witnesses:

HANsoN C. COXE, MAURICE ROUX.

passing in .the intervals of the I05 

